What Else Is There
by Leijona
Summary: Five strangers find each other on a rooftop one night, all with different reasons to be there. Will it be the night from hell or will they be able to help each other? AU, but with the 5 main characters. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own One Tree Hill, the characters or anything else related to the show. Mark does. Damn it. Neither do I own the song 'What Else Is There' by Røyksopp._

_**AN: **All five characters will make an appearance in this story, it just might take a while before they do :)  
__Please let me know what you think! This is just an idea that popped into my head, I hope you like it!_

_**Summary:** five strangers find each other on a rooftop one night, all with different reasons to be there. Will it be the night from hell or will they be able to help each other?_

* * *

The man parked his car and got out. Here he was again. Ten years ago this place was filled with good memories, with him and his friends, with life. Tonight he came here to see if he could bring those memories back for just one night, before the buildings would be taken down next week. He was feeling nostalgic. That and he really had nowhere else to go.

He got the bottle of whiskey out of his car and walked towards the entrance. To his surprise the gate wasn't locked, so he walked right in. He stopped for a second and looked around, trying to remember where he had to go in order to get on the roof. It wasn't long before he found the fire escape and made his way up.

The woman was surprised to see another car parked outside the gate. She thought she would be alone here tonight. After she turned the radio off, she got out of her car. She sighed when she saw the buildings again. It had been ten years since she last walked through those gates. Since she last had been happy. Tonight, she came here to try to find peace. Who was she kidding, she came here because she wanted to get out. Out of the mess she was in, maybe even out of this life. But that, she hadn't decided yet.

She walked through the gate and made her way to the fire escape. After ten years she still knew where everything was. It took her some time to reach the roof, after all she wasn't really in shape and although she had a pretty good excuse for that, she hated it. Just as much as she hated the fact that people constantly asked her how she was doing, if they could get her something or if she needed help. She wanted to tell them to go stuff it, but she didn't. She put on a smile and said she was fine.

He heard a noise coming from the fire escape. He thought he would be the only crazy enough to come here, but it turned out he was wrong. He turned around, taking another sip of his whiskey and saw a blonde woman coming up. Her breathing was heavy and she rested her hands on her knees, head down, trying to get more air.

"You should exercise more, lady. It's just a fire escape." He said while he held up his bottle to greet the woman.

"Thanks for the advice," the woman replied sarcastically while she looked up with her eyes narrowed. "And you should drink less, buddy."

The man looked at his bottle "Yeah, I know."

His answer surprised her. She didn't expect him to be honest, she had expected him to give a smart reply. She looked at the man, he had been good looking once, you could tell. Well he still was, really, he just needed a hair cut and a shower. She laughed.

"And what's so funny, missy?" He asked, while he looked at the woman curiously. There was something about her that made him feel uncomfortable. Like she was going to break down any second.

"Nothing, it's just… I didn't think I would have company tonight." She sat down next to him. He offered her his bottle but she shook her head "Not yet," she said with a low voice.

"Well same here, I thought I could have some me-time tonight, but I guess it just got changed into we-time." He smiled and put his bottle down before he turned towards the woman. He reached out his hand "Nathan Scott, 28, unemployed basketball star and alcoholic."

"And charming, I might add," she smiled at Nathan and took his hand "Peyton Sawyer, 27, alone and dying."

"You really do know how to kill a good mood, don't you?" Nathan replied while he let go of her hand and took his bottle again. So that's why she looked so vulnerable. "But as a matter of fact, we're all dying, so what makes you so special?"

Peyton smiled, she liked how he was honest with her. Not comforting, like most people were, not understanding, not protective but just honest. "You've got a point there, Nathan," she looked at him "The only difference is I know I'm gonna die within the next three months, while you probably have your whole life ahead of you," Peyton paused "If you slow down on the drinking that is."

Nathan shook his head "That sucks."

"What? That you have to stop drinking in order to stay alive? Yeah, disappointing, huh?" Peyton liked teasing him a bit. So far he was honest with her, so she decided she might as well return the favour.

"Yeah, that too." Nathan smiled at Peyton. He had decided he liked her. She was sincere, something not many people were these days.

"So what brings you up here?" Peyton asked while she walked over to the ridge.

"I don't know really. I heard they are taking this place down in a couple of days and I don't know… This place has some good memories." Nathan replied, while he joined her.

"I know what you mean. I was so safe when I was in here. You know, all my friends were here as well, life was easy back then." Peyton looked around and the buildings below her.

"Yeah. It sure was," Nathan sighed "So what year did you graduate?"

"It's been ten years now." Peyton answered "You?"

"Me too. That's funny because I don't think I remember you." Nathan looked at Peyton again, but he really didn't remember her.

"Well, I wasn't all that popular in high school, unlike now, I might add," Peyton laughed and gave him a wink to let him know she was joking "I was on my own most of the time. I guess me and my friends weren't really a part of the popular crowd."

"It's not all that they say it is, being popular in high school. I mean, look at me now, life's not really all that it was supposed to be." Nathan sat down again and drank some more whiskey. He sure had been disappointed by life.


	2. Chapter 2

_**AN:** Let me know what you think! Reviews are appreciated :)_

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She told the taxi driver to stop right in front of the gate and gave him his money. She was so focused on what she needed to do that she didn't even see the two cars parked outside. She walked in and headed for the fire escape immediately. It was best to get this over with as soon as possible, maybe then the memories from her past would stop haunting her.

She swung the bag over her shoulder, took her shoes off and made her way up the stairs. It wasn't easy: bag over her shoulder, shoes in one hand, holding on to the railing with the other, but she was determined. This had to be done. She was confused when she heard voices coming from the rooftop. Why on earth would there be anyone else here but her?

"What in God's name are you doing here?" She asked as she stepped onto the roof. She saw a man and a woman looking at her, both with a questioning look in their eyes.

"We could ask you the same thing." Nathan said.

"Don't be a smart-ass, mister!" She replied with a harsh voice "I'm pretty sure there's no one here on other nights, but on the night I decide to come here there's some sort of tea party going on," she pouted "This sucks."

Peyton shook her head "Yeah, well, life sucks that way. You might as well join us. We're pretty cool once you get to know us."

"So, you guys know each other or something?" She asked while she put her bag down.

"No, not really. We met about-" Nathan paused and looked at his watch "15 minutes ago. We were just about to tell each other all our dirty little secrets but then you decided to interrupt. So like she said," as he pointed to Peyton "feel free to join. What's in your bag anyway?"

The woman shrugged "Just some things I have to get rid off. And a bottle of wine." She opened the bag and took out a bottle of white wine.

"Great, another alcoholic!" Peyton said sarcastically while she looked at the woman. "What's your name?"

"Brooke. Brooke Davis." Brooke put her shoes back on and walked over to the others. "And you?"

4"I'm Peyton and that's Nathan." Peyton said while she nodded towards Nathan. "Hey, just to make this even more creepier than it already is – did you go to school here as well?"

Brooke nodded "Yeah, I graduated ten years ago. Why?"

Nathan looked at Peyton and then smiled while he said "This is strange, because Peyton here and I graduated that same year. I just told Peyton that I don't remember her and I guess I can tell you the same thing."

"Well same goes for me, I don't recognise either of you." Brooke replied.

"It's always nice to know you made an impression." Peyton added, while she looked at Nathan. He smiled back at her.

Brooke opened her bottle of wine and took a sip. There was something going on between those two. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it was there. She always sensed those sort of things. "So, did you hear they're going to take this place down?"

Nathan nodded "Yeah, it's kind of sad, I guess."

"Nathan told me. I wasn't even sure if the place would still be here when I got back." Peyton added.

"You left Tree Hill?" Nathan asked while he looked at Peyton.

"Yeah. I left right after graduation, thinking I would never, ever come back here again." Peyton replied while she stared into the distance.

"So what made you change your mind?" Brooke asked while she offered Peyton her bottle of wine.

Peyton took it this time and took a sip before she answered Brooke "Closure, I guess." Peyton looked at Brooke and could see she didn't understand her "I'm dying and I wanted to die at peace with myself. So I decided to go back here one more time. I thought that maybe I could feel some of the happiness I felt when I went to this school. That maybe I could let go of all my issues. I don't know. It seems like a stupid idea now." Peyton rubbed her eyes, she hated it when she became emotional.

Brooke looked at her with tears in her eyes. This woman was strong. "And you?" Brooke asked Nathan.

Nathan sighed "I just wanted to get drunk without anyone interrupting me. So I could try to forget about my life for just one night." Nathan smirked "But then you guys came along and now I'm here talking about my feelings like we're having some sort of therapy session." He laughed.

"Yeah, well, life sucks that way." Peyton said again, laughing. She liked Nathan. "What about you?" Peyton asked Brooke.

"Since we're all so brutally honest with each other I might as well spill the dirt. I'm getting married next week and my soon-to-be-husband thought I was all miss goody-goody before I met him," Brooke paused "Let's just say there are some things from my past I have to get rid off. I guess we all do tonight"

Peyton and Nathan both nodded in agreement.


	3. Chapter 3

_**AN:** I hope you all like how the story goes so far… Let me know what you think! Thanks :)_

* * *

The man and woman walked silently next to each other. They both knew what they were doing so there really wasn't anything to talk about. The woman felt nervous, she hoped no one would see them. Trespassing wasn't something she wanted to get a criminal record for. He had talked her into it, saying nothing would happen. It was his idea to go up there and take back what they had left there ten years ago. When he heard they were going to take down their old high school, he knew there was one last thing they had to do. He couldn't just let it get destroyed.

They reached the gate and looked at each other when they saw two cars standing there. The man shrugged but continued anyway, so the woman had no other choice than to follow him. They walked over to the fire escape where the woman went up first. Not long after the man followed her as well.

"What the-" Nathan said as he saw another head coming over the edge. He looked at the two women sitting next to him "Did one of you sent out invitations or something?"

Peyton and Brooke both shook their heads and were shocked when they didn't only see a woman but also a man stepping on the roof.

"Guess there's gonna be a tea party after all, Brooke." Peyton joked, while she looked at the two newcomers.

"Luke, what is going on here? Did you know _these _people would be here?"

He shook his head "I had know idea, Hales. I don't even know these people."

"So why not change that?" Brooke asked "You're interrupting our little party slash therapy session slash get-together here anyway, so we might as well know who we're dealing with." Brooke got up and placed her hands in her sides.

"Well, um… I'm Haley and that's Lucas." Haley replied, looking at the three opposite to her.

"Do you have any alcohol with you?" Peyton asked "Because with this many people here we might need some more."

Nathan smiled at her, he loved the way her mind worked. He could see Lucas and Haley didn't know what to think of that question, while it was obvious that Peyton was just joking.

"Well, I don't drink," Haley answered "I'm pregnant." She pointed to the obvious evidence of that. Haley looked at Lucas.

"Sorry, but no. I didn't expected a crowd here," Lucas replied with a hostile tone is his voice "But why don't you introduce yourselves first."

"Take it easy man. It's not like this is your rooftop or anything. We were here first." Nathan said, trying to lighten the mood "I'm Nathan by the way."

"Peyton." Peyton added

"And I'm Brooke," Brooke said "And now that we have that sorted out we really have to talk about our alcohol issue here. I mean, how can we have a fun night together when there's only 3 sips of wine left."

Peyton looked at Nathan, who answered her look with a guilty face. She pointed at his bottle with a questioning look. He shrugged and mouthed 'Brooke' which made Peyton smile.

"What is it with you people and alcohol? Are we in some sort of strange AA-meeting or something?" Haley asked while she sat down next to Brooke.

Brooke shook her head "No, but we came to an agreement here, about five minutes before you guys walked in. We're all here tonight to get rid off something, be it fear, memories from the past or anything else you can think off and that's a lot easier if you can drink while you do that." Brooke looked at Nathan and Peyton, who both nodded in agreement.

"Unless you guys came here to make out or something? In that case you might want to think about using condoms instead of drinking." Brooke nodded, content with her explanation.

Peyton laughed, Brooke sure was funny when she was slightly drunk.

"Ehw, no. We're just friends. Plus I'm pregnant." Haley looked at Brooke with a disgusted look in her eyes.

"Yeah, you already mentioned that. Twice." Brooke took another sip of her wine, emptying the bottle. She turned the bottle upside down "Oh look, now it's all gone…"

Lucas looked at Brooke. She was outgoing, but he liked it. He wondered why she was here. And then there was Peyton, she looked fragile. He didn't know how else to put it. Fragile, but full of life. And that Nathan guy, he didn't speak that much. Lucas wondered what his story was.

"Ok, so you're pregnant, does that mean you don't drive either?" Peyton asked Haley.

Haley looked at Peyton, confusion written all over her face.

"It's probably gonna be a long night and there's nothing left to drink, so maybe you could go and get us some? We've already had something to drink so we can't drive anymore." Peyton explained.

"But I don't have a car. We walked here." Haley looked at Lucas for help, but didn't get any.

"You can take mine." Nathan jumped at the chance. He needed more alcohol. That crazy woman Brooke drank most of his.

"Ok," Haley felt trapped, but decided to go along with the whole idea anyway. "Luke will you go with me?" Haley walked over to Nathan and got his car keys.

"I'll come with you, momma." Brooke jumped up and hooked arms with Haley "Since you're pregnant and all."

Brooke liked teasing Haley, but that wasn't the only reason she wanted to go. Obviously Haley and Lucas were good friends and Brooke had just decided she liked Lucas so maybe Haley could give her some important information on the subject.


	4. Chapter 4

_**AN:** Everyone who has reviewed - thank you for that! Everyone who hasn't - hope you will!  
Sorry for the long wait! It's just - this fic is coming together in a strange way - I already have the final chapter written and now have to find a way to write all the chapters in between... Challenging... :)_

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"So, now it's just me and you, guys." Peyton said, while she got up and walked across the roof. She looked over the ridge and said to herself "Maybe I should try this, it's a lot easier, that's for sure."

"Did you say anything?" Lucas asked as he followed Peyton with his eyes. He saw her shake her head. Lucas turned towards Nathan and looked at him. What he saw was the picture of a, somehow, broken man. He shook his head in pity.

"If this was high school you and I so would be at it right now." Nathan said while he looked at Peyton. He gave her a wink and hoped she'd understand he was just joking.

She smiled at Nathan "Yeah. The problem is, this isn't high school anymore," Peyton sighed and sat down "We're supposed to be adults now. We aren't supposed to mess around anymore."

"Sometimes I really miss those days though," Nathan looked at Lucas, who nodded in agreement "What were you like in high school, Lucas?"

Lucas sighed "I don't know, really. I guess I was just, me." Lucas looked up to see if Nathan and Peyton understood what he meant. They both nodded, so he continued "It was always Haley and me against the rest of the world. We have been best friends since we were five and sometimes I think it's amazing we still are."

"So, are you…" Peyton hesitated for a second "…are you the father of her baby?" She was curious.

Lucas shook his head "No. Haley is married to her high school sweetheart. We're just friends."

"Do you live in Tree Hill?" Nathan asked Lucas.

"Yeah. I've lived here all my life, Haley as well. My Mom owns Karen's Café." Lucas explained.

Peyton eyes widened "I know that place, I used to hang out there a lot after school," she looked at Lucas again "But I still don't remember you or seeing you there."

"Could be. I worked there after school, but I did the dishes, so I spent most of my time in the kitchen." He laughed "I guess my Mom thought I wasn't pretty enough to work behind the counter. Haley got that job." Lucas added with a semi-hurt expression on his face.

Nathan and Peyton both laughed.

"I'm not sure about remembering Haley either," Peyton said. "Strange."

"So, what were you like in high school?" Lucas forwarded the question to Peyton.

Peyton took a deep breath "I was alone, I guess. I mean, not that I didn't have any friends, but, I don't know. I wasn't part of a popular crowd, that's for sure. I used to spent my lunch break in the art-centre, drawing or listening to music."

"And you've lived in Tree Hill, right?" Nathan asked, while he fixed his eyes on Peyton. Even though she looked fragile, there still was some sort of strength coming from her, it intrigued him.

"Yes. Until the day I graduated. After that I lived in a bunch of different cities. As soon as I got fed up with one place I moved on to the next. None of those places gave me what I was looking for though," Peyton paused for a second "But even now I don't know what I was looking for back then. I guess I just wanted to make sure I got my share of living. I now know that it's not about where you are. It's about who you are."

"Is that what made you come back?" Lucas asked.

Peyton shook her head "No. I just wanted to die in the same place where I was born."

Lucas looked at her with a questioning look on his face.

"Yeah man, you kind of missed the part where Peyton introduced herself." Nathan answered. He saw Peyton struggle to answer Lucas, so he had decided to help her. "I believe her exact words were 'I'm Peyton Sawyer, alone and dying'."

Peyton smiled "You're a true gentleman, Nathan Scott, as you skipped the part were I mentioned my age." Peyton was glad Nathan had helped her. She had felt extremely comfortable telling Nathan she was dying, she felt she could be honest with him, without him feeling sorry for her. With Lucas, she didn't have that feeling.

Lucas swallowed hard "I'm sorry, Peyton. I… I didn't know that."

"It's ok," Peyton tried to give him a smile, but felt she failed."I've know it for some time now, so it's not that hard anymore. Ok, enough about me, it's your turn, Nathan. Tell us about your high school days." Peyton shifted so she was facing Nathan.

"Well, I was a jerk in high school." Nathan said. He focused his eyes on some point in the distance and continued "I've played basketball all my life and was pretty good at it. So as soon as I started here, I joined the Ravens. Everybody looked up to me. Basketball had given me some sort of status and the power that came along with that. All the girls wanted me and all the boys wanted to be me."

Lucas and Peyton both coughed, disagreeing with what Nathan had just said.

He smirked "Ok, so not all the girls and all the boys, you know what I mean. Let's just say I really took advantage of my status and hurt a lot people doing that."

"And yet you still have the guts to live in Tree Hill?" Peyton asked, while she smiled at Nathan.

Nathan nodded "Yeah. I probably always will. Somehow the Scott-family is bound to this place."

"So what happened to you after high school?" Lucas asked.

Before Nathan could answer he heard voices. All three of them turned towards the fire escape, where they saw Brooke coming up, followed by Haley.

"We're bahack!" Brooke said, while she showed the bags she held in her hands.

Haley stood behind Brooke, her hands on her stomach. "And we're so here to stay." Haley added sarcastically, while she tried to catch her breath.


	5. Chapter 5

_**AN:** I'm so sorry about the long wait! I've been quit caught up with my other story… Anyway, I hope you all liked the update – let me know what you think! Thanks guys :)_

* * *

"So, did anything exciting happen while we were gone?" Brooke asked, while she opened one of the bags and started handing out plastic cups. Nathan, Lucas and Peyton all shook their heads.

"Not really," Lucas said "We were just talking about how we were in high school."

"Ok, so why don't you fill us in?" Haley said, while she refused the cup Brooke offered here. "Brooke, how many times do I have to tell you, I'm…"

"Pregnant. I know. But we also brought some soda for you, remember? I'm just trying to be nice, Mom." Brooke replied. She shook her head. Never in her life had she met someone who was so uptight.

Lucas cleared his throat "Well, I told them I mostly spent my times with you, Hales. Peyton was sort of a loner and Nathan was your typical jock."

Brooke let out a small laugh "Sounds interesting guys. Well preggers," Brooke said as she shot a look at Haley "why don't you tell us how you were in high school? Or are you going to tell us you spent all your time with Luke over there?"

Haley sighed, she didn't understand why Brooke had to bitch at her the whole time. "Well boozy," Haley said as she gave Brooke the same look she had gotten just moments earlier "as a matter of fact I didn't spent _all _my time with Lucas." Haley looked at Lucas who nodded.

"It's not like we were joined at the hip or something." Lucas added.

Haley smiled, that was what Lucas' mom used to say when they were younger. They had been friends ever since kindergarten.

"So, what did you do then?" Peyton asked. Even though she wasn't all that interested, she just wanted to get this conversation over with. Why talk about past time, when there's nothing you can change about it?

Haley looked at Peyton and a smile formed around her lips "I was a tutor. I loved it. Seeing people get something, you know, seeing them making that connection, figuring it out. It was great."

Nathan had listened the whole time but suddenly pointed at Haley "You're the one who gave the valedictorian speech, weren't you?"

"Yeah," Haley tucked her hair behind her ear and looked down "That was me." She focused on Nathan "You remember that?"

Nathan nodded "Surprisingly, yes. I thought I was too drunk to notice anything that day, but I guess your speech made some sort of impression."

Haley blushed and looked the other way. "I guess this means it's your turn Brooke," Haley said.

Brooke rolled her eyes and sighed "I guess so. There's not much to tell though. Brooke Davis, head cheerleader, student body president and slut." She sat down next to Peyton who had compassion in her eyes.

"It couldn't have been that bad?" Peyton asked, while she put her hand on Brooke's. She felt for the woman.

But Brooke shook her head "It was. I was a total mess back then. My parents didn't care about me and I figured that, if my parents didn't care, who would? So I did everything I thought was fun, only to find out karma's a bitch." She felt tears coming to her eyes.

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked. He was curious, but at the same time didn't want to push her "You don't have to tell if you don't want to."

Brooke smiled at looked at the bag she brought along tonight "It's ok. Really. I guess I have to deal with it eventually." She walked over to the bag and took out a box.

"What's in there?" Nathan asked, while he narrowed his eyes to read what was on the side of the box.

Brooke looked at the side as well "It says 'How I spent my summer'. It was the summer before senior year and I went on a trip to California. No parents, no friends, just me." Brooke opened the box "Just me and a lot of boys." She went through the photographs and letters that were in that box.

"I'm sorry, hon, but what's wrong with having a little fun?" Peyton asked, while she stood up to get a bottle of wine. She filled everyone cup, except for Haley's, who held up her bottle of soda and filled her own cup.

"During senior year I met this guy, Chase. I don't know if you guys heard about clean teens?"

Everyone nodded.

"I always thought they were a little pathetic," Nathan said "I mean, who doesn't love sex, right?"

Brooke nodded "Yeah, that's what I thought. Until I met Chase. He was a clean teen as well, which made him more interesting, I guess. So I joined clean teens just to be around him. And after a while I fell in love with him."

Peyton shook her head "Uh oh."

"Yeah," Brooke paused and took a sip, trying to fight back the tears "I wanted him to like me, so I pretended to be a good clean teen. One that never had sex before. And he bought it. We didn't have sex until we were together for almost six months." Brooke sighed.

"Wow." Haley said. The others nodded in agreement.

"So, what exactly are you doing here then?" Lucas asked.

"I'm getting married to Chase next week and I want it to be perfect. So I came here to get rid of the past. I know it's bad that I lied to my soon-to-be-husband, but I feel like I can't take it back. I would die if he ever found this box, if he ever found out about my past, really. So I figured the best option was to burn it." Brooke stopped fighting the tears and let them out. She put her hands in front of her face "I'm such a bad person."

Peyton pulled her into a hug and comforted her "Hey. Ssssh, it's ok, Brooke. You're not a bad person. Maybe you used to be, but not anymore, ok?" Peyton looked at the woman with a questioning look in her eyes.

Brooke nodded and dried her eyes "Let's just get rid of this. Does anyone have a lighter?"

Nathan stood up and felt in the pockets of his jeans. He pulled one out and handed it to Brooke "Here you go."

"Thanks" Brooke took it and held the flame next to the box. Peyton helped her by pouring some alcohol over the photos and it wasn't soon before long the box was on fire and the pictures and letters disappeared in the flames.

They all sat in silence, watching as the whole thing turned to dust. When it was all gone they all held up their cup.

"Here's to closure. Cheers guys." Brooke said.


	6. Chapter 6

All five of them were silent for a while, each with their own thoughts.

Haley took a sip of her soda and looked at the others. Nathan had been quiet most of the time, she wondered what his story was. She was also curious to hear Peyton's story, the woman seemed so fragile.

"Does anyone know what time it is?" Haley asked.

Brooke, Lucas and Peyton all shook their heads, but Nathan looked at his watch "It's just over eleven. Why?"

Haley shrugged "Nothing special, really," but she felt Lucas' eyes on her. She looked back and he nodded. He knew as well as Haley that it was almost time.

"So," Brooke spoke softly "Who else is willing to pour their heart out?" She focused on Lucas, wanting to hear his story, but he shook his head.

"I'll go," Nathan said, as he got up "I might as well get this over with."

He walked over to the edge of the roof and looked down, holding on to the railing. Nathan took a deep breath and turned around so he faced the others.

"I messed up my life. Really, really bad." Nathan looked around to see how they would react, but it looked liked they were all waiting for an explanation before they would draw their conclusions.

Nathan sighed "I used to be somebody. I used to be Nathan Scott, star player of the Ravens, the kid who had a great future ahead of him. I used to have a wife, I used to have a great house, damn it, I used to have a life." Nathan threw his cup away with such force that Peyton backed away.

"I'm sorry, Peyton." Nathan looked at her, his eyes so full of guilt that Peyton felt tears coming to her own eyes.

"It's ok." Peyton smiled at him, wanting to take his pain away. She felt for him in a way she hadn't experienced before.

Nathan cleared his throat and continued "My Dad… He was the star player of the Ravens back in the day, so ultimately he made me follow his lead. He pushed me into playing basketball before I could even walk. I hated it at first, but I became good at it. Really good. I was playing with the team long before I reached my junior year and we were on a roll. We won State in senior year, things couldn't have been more perfect."

Nathan sat down again, next to Peyton. It wasn't before long he felt her hand on his, encouraging him to continue.

Peyton shook her head. Usually she would be the one who was comforted by people, yet here she was, sitting between Brooke and Nathan. Still rubbing Brooke's back, trying to calm her down, and holding Nathan's hand, to let him know he wasn't alone.

Nathan continued "I graduated Tree Hill High and got a scholarship for Duke. Those were the best four years of my life. We won the Championship every single year, we even won some international tournaments. We partied every weekend and at one of those parties, I met my wife."

"It sound like you had the perfect life." Haley said. Lucas and Brooke nodded as well.

"Yeah," Nathan paused, taking a deep breath "We married right after we graduated from Duke. All our friends were there. It was great. We were supposed to go to Hawaii for our honeymoon. So after the reception we took the car and drove to the airport. One of our friends had offered to drive us, but we decided it would be more romantic if it was just us two." Nathan rubbed his eyes, even though it had been six years ago, it still was hard to talk about that day.

Lucas knew this story wouldn't have a happy ending. He felt sorry for Nathan, he seemed like a good guy. But bad things always happen to good people.

Brooke felt tears coming to her eyes as well, when she saw Nathan fiercely rubbing his eyes. She was glad Peyton was still rubbing her back. It relaxed her a bit.

"He said he didn't see us. He said the sun was in his eyes when he wanted to cross the road and that he didn't see us," Nathan clenched his fists "He hit her side full on. I could hear the metal tear while the car spun around. I heard my wife scream and I tried to reach her, I grabbed for her hand but missed it. Then there was a loud bang and after that nothing but silence. We hit a tree," Nathan let out a sigh "I remember looking out of the car. I didn't realise we had stopped spinning until I looked to my right. It was like that side of the car embraced the tree. And in the middle of that complete chaos of metal and wood and glass was my wife. Her face was covered with blood, but it looked like she was sleeping. I don't really remember what happened after that, the next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital, hooked to a number of machines."

Brooke was crying now, as was Haley. Lucas played with a piece of paper, tearing it up into small pieces. Peyton continued to rub Brooke's back, while tears streamed down her face. She squeezed Nathan's hand, showing him she was here for him.

Nathan reached out and got a bottle of whiskey out of the bag. He opened it and took a large sip before he continued "She died when we hit that tree. She could have survived the accident, she could have survived getting hit by a truck, if only that stupid tree wasn't there."

"Unbelievable." Lucas shook his head, he didn't know what else to say.

"I ended up with a busted knee and a concussion. I spent months trying to learn how to walk again. I had to give up basketball, but I didn't care. All I wanted was my wife back." Nathan's voice darkened "That's when I started drinking. I tried to numb the pain with alcohol. It didn't work, but that didn't stop me from drinking more." He took another sip "I've been sober for almost two years now. But every year, on the day of our wedding, I seem to lose it. So that's why I'm here today. I'm trying to numb the pain again."

Peyton stopped rubbing Brooke's back and put her arms around Nathan. Without saying a word she pulled him close, trying to relax him.

Brooke stood up and walked around, trying to get some fresh air. She dried her eyes and sat down next to Lucas.

"Life sucks." Lucas said.

Brooke nodded "Yeah, it really does."

Haley walked over to Lucas and Brooke and sat down with them. All three of them looked at Peyton, who still held Nathan.


	7. Chapter 7

_**AN:** Sorry for the short update.. It's mostly a filler-chapter, so it's not all drama all the time :) I hope ya'll like it anyway!  
__For everyone who has left a review - **thank you so much!** Keep 'em coming.  
__Enjoy :)_

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Nathan pulled out of Peyton's arms and walked over to the railing. Taking deep breaths he tried to calm himself.

Haley saw Nathan standing at the railing and got up. She took a bottle of water with her and walked over to him "Here, maybe this will help." Haley handed him the bottle. "I'm sorry, Nathan. About what happened to your wife."

"Everybody is, Haley. But that's not going to bring her back, is it?" Nathan said it before he knew it and saw the hurt look on Haley's face. He realised that he wasn't being fair to her "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that, it's just… Sorry."

"It's ok Nathan." Haley turned around and looked at the others; Peyton still sat on the same spot, holding her cup firmly with both hands, staring into nowhere. Lucas and Brooke were still sitting next to each other, talking quietly.

"Brooke?" Lucas cleared his throat. "Does he love you?"

Brooke looked up and faced Lucas "What?"

"Does he love you?" Lucas repeated his question "Does Chase love you?"

Brooke's mouth dropped "I really think that's none of your business," she said while she crossed her arms "But you're lucky I'm a unbelievably curious person, Lucas: Why do you want to know that?"

"Well, if he loves you, I mean, if he really loves you, don't you think he can forgive whatever you've done in the past?" Lucas looked at Brooke, while he kept playing with the cup he held in his hands.

"Would you?" Brooke pulled up her legs and wrapped her arms around them, resting her head on her knees. "If the girl you loved told you that everything your relationship is based on is a lie, would you still love her?"

Lucas shrugged "You've got a point there, I guess."

"Yeah. I know. And it sucks, but this is the only thing I could come up with. I've gotten rid of my past and Chase will never find out about it." Brooke closed her eyes and thought about Chase. He had been nothing but good to her and that made her feel even more guilty about what she'd done.

"Maybe the question isn't if Chase loves you, but if you love Chase." Peyton turned around so she faced both Brooke and Lucas.

"I didn't know we had an audience here." Brooke shot back at Peyton. She admired the woman, she really did, but sometimes it was best if people minded their own business.

"Yeah, well, maybe if you hadn't talked so loud.. But do you really want to argue about that, Brooke?" Peyton stood up slowly, noticing she was getting tired and walked over to where Lucas and Brooke sat. Peyton sat down as well and tried to catch her breath.

"Are you ok?" Lucas asked, with a concerned look in his eyes.

Peyton waved it off "I'm fine, just a little tired." She turned towards Brooke and took her hands "Do you want to live in a lie, Brooke? Do you really want to live every single day in guilt of not being honest to your husband?"

Brooke shrugged "No," and rubbed her eyes. Through her tears she saw that Nathan and Haley were listening to their conversation as well.

"That's what I meant, Brooke. If you really love him, you wouldn't do this to him," Peyton paused for a second and sighed "I think it's time for you to be honest with yourself, hon."

"And what gave you the right to just mess with people's relationships? Telling her to break up with him?" Haley pointed at Peyton while she walked over the group.

Peyton felt attacked by Haley "Hey, I didn't say that. I just said she had to be honest about why she is in this relationship."

Haley narrowed her eyes "Yeah, by telling her she doesn't love him. God." Haley threw her hands in the air.

"Hey!" Brooke stood up and looked at the other two women "I'm standing right here! So if you have something to say, just say it to my face."

Haley rubbed her forehead "I'm sorry, Brooke."

"Me too," Peyton looked at Brooke "It's just… I get carried away sometimes. I want to see people happy and it breaks my heart whenever I see someone who's not. Not that I think you're not happy," Peyton tried to think of a way to make this sound better, but couldn't think of anything "I'm sorry."

"It's ok," Brooke smiled "I guess it's been a while since there were people who cared about how I feel. I kinda like it."

"Same goes for me guys." Nathan joined the group "Thanks for listening to my story. It feels good to let it all out sometimes."

"Let's toast to that." Lucas said as he held up his cup "Here's to people who care."

"Cheers." Nathan, Haley, Brooke and Peyton all said at the same time.

"Now, let's hear why you guys are here." Brooke said while she pointed towards Lucas and Haley with her cup.


	8. Chapter 8

_**AN:** Wow guys - 7 reviews! It doesn't seem like much but to me it's **awesome**! Thank you so much :) doing a little dance right now  
Yeah, so here's the new chapter.. Hope you like it - let me know!_

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Haley rolled her eyes "Why don't you tell them, Luke? After all, this whole thing was your idea."

Lucas narrowed his eyes "Hey. You're as much a part of this as I am, so don't act like it's something stupid."

"I'm not saying it's stupid, Lucas Scott. I just don't want to explain the whole thing." Haley placed her hands in her side and waited for Lucas to begin.

"Whoa. Are you guys still living the high school days or something?" Brooke looked at the two and raised an eyebrow "Quit whining about whose idea it was or is or has been and spill the juice. Come on! I'm dying to find out!"

"No, see, that would be me." Peyton added. She and Brooke shared a smile over what Peyton intended to be a joke. She saw, however, that not everybody got it. "Never mind, just carry on." Peyton shook her head.

Haley looked at Peyton and wondered what she was talking about. She had obviously missed something when she and Brooke went shopping.

"Well," Lucas began, trying to get everyone's attention "Ever since we started high school we've had some sort of ritual at the beginning of every year."

Haley nodded and joined in "Yeah, we would come up here and write down our predictions for the upcoming year, place them in a box and hide them behind one of the bricks over there." Haley said as she pointed to a brick wall on the other side of the roof.

"We made our last predictions at the end of senior year, after graduation. Trying to predict what life would brings us after Tree Hill High. We haven't looked at them since." Lucas walked over to the wall, took out one of the bricks and pulled out a small box.

"Luke told me they are going to take all of this down next week, so we decided it might be a good time to get our box back." Haley smiled as she thought about all the times she was up here with Lucas, thinking about what was ahead of them.

Lucas sat down next to Haley and opened the box. There was a stack of little pieces of paper and a pen in it.

"Ok." Brooke took another sip of her drink "Sounds interesting. And kind of eh, geeky?"

"Yeah, well, we weren't all that popular back then, were we Luke?" Haley slapped Lucas on his shoulder.

Lucas shook his head "Face it, Hales. We were geeks."

All five of them laughed.

"So, let's see what's in here," Lucas went through the papers "I guess this is from freshmen year." Lucas opened the paper "This is yours, Hales." He handed Haley the piece of paper.

Haley laughed, she suddenly remembered some of the things she wrote down. "Ok, here we go. One, I will be a cool kid." Everyone laughed, but Haley continued "Two, I will not become a member of the Math-team. And three, I will get my first kiss this year."

"Seriously? You thought being a cool kid was going to help you get through high school?" Lucas laughed as he looked at his best friend.

"Back then, yeah sure, why not?" Haley laughed as she folded the piece of paper and gave it back to Lucas. "Let's hear yours."

Lucas cleared his throat "One, I will stay best friends with Haley James. Two, I'm going to try out for the basketball team. Three, I will get my first kiss this year."

"Aah. You sound so young and innocent." Nathan leaned back and smiled.

Lucas looked at the pieces of papers and found the two from after graduation. "Here," he handed one of them to Haley "These are the ones we wrote after we graduated."

Haley smiled "You go first, Luke."

Lucas opened his and smiled while he looked at the words "One, I will be a best-selling author. Two, I'll marry the girl I love. Three, I'll stay best friends with Haley James."

Haley felt tears coming to her eyes. She didn't know what Lucas had written down that night and it somehow surprised her he still put down that bit about their friendship.

"And? Did all those things happen to you?" Brooke looked at Lucas.

He shook his head "Not all of them. I'm still friends with Haley, so that didn't change." Lucas smiled at Haley "I did write a novel, but it did ok, not great. And I haven't married the girl I love," Lucas paused for a second, looked at Brooke and continued "Because I think I haven't met her up till now."

"What about yours, Haley?" Nathan took another sip of his drink. He started to like Haley. She seemed to have common sense, just like Peyton had sincerity.

"Let's see. One, I'll always be best friends with Lucas Scott. Two, I'll become a teacher and marry Jake. And three, I'll be happy," Haley folded the paper and smiled "They all came true."

"Good for you, Haley." Peyton said. It came out more sarcastic than she'd intended. Every once in a while she felt incredibly sorry for herself and hated the fact that she wouldn't live a long and happy life, when everybody else did. She recognised this being one of that moments, so she excused herself and walked over to the ridge. She tried to calm herself by looking at the stars.

"What's up with her?" Haley asked Brooke.

Brooke shrugged "I think it's best if you ask her. But I'm sure she'll tell us why she's here later tonight."

"Ok," Haley looked at the other and suddenly an idea popped into her head "Hey, why don't we all write down our predictions for the next 10 years? We could all meet up again, to see if they came true."

Nathan cleared his throat "I don't think that's such a good idea, Haley."

"Why not?" Haley thought it was a great idea.

"Because I'm dying and I probably won't be here in 10 years. Hell, I probably won't be here in 3 months." Peyton kicked an empty bottle, causing it to break.

Nathan lowered his head, Brooke once again rubbed her eyes, while Lucas gave Haley a little smile.

They were all waiting to hear Peyton's story.


	9. Chapter 9

_**AN:** Sorry for the long wait, guys! There's no excuse for it, really, I've just been kind of stuck... I do hope you like the new chapter though - let me know!  
**Missdenmark, HJS-NS-23, beepersheartbrucas **and **tinkingit **- thank you so much for your reviews on the last chapters! As well as everyone else who has reviewed earlier chapters - thank you guys! I love them :)_

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Peyton turned around, placed her hands on the railing behind her and took a deep breath. She looked at the others before she began "I'm dying. And I wanted to find some sort of peace before I do, so that's why I'm here."

Lucas nodded, Brooke rubbed her eyes once again, Nathan gave her an encouraging smile and Haley looked at her with big eyes.

Peyton gave a little smile, trying to not make a big deal out of this "As Nathan said earlier, we're all dying, so what makes me so special, right?" Peyton gave Nathan a wink, trying to let him know she didn't mind he had said that.

Nathan smiled. When he first met Peyton she seemed so fragile, like she could break down any second. The more time he spend with her, the more he realised she was a strong woman, who would always put someone else first.

"I have breast cancer," Peyton paused for a second "I've had it for three years now and it keeps getting worse. I've had chemo about two years ago, but it didn't help. Six months ago, they told me there was nothing more they could do and I would have about nine more months to live."

Haley was in shock. Peyton was such a good person and she seemed so full of life. Haley shook her head in disbelief.

"So, basically, I have three months left. And that's what makes me special." Peyton walked over to the bag and grabbed another bottle of wine. She opened the bottle and poured some wine in her cup. She sat down in-between Nathan and Lucas and sighed.

Lucas put his arm around Peyton "I'm sorry, Peyton."

Peyton shrugged "It's not that bad, really. I mean, I've done everything I wanted to do, I've seen everything I wanted to see and now I just have to wait."

"But don't you want to live?" Brooke didn't even bother to wipe her tears away, there were too many anyway.

Peyton shook her head "No. I've always loved life, but living like this, with constant pain and constant fear of getting worse and not being able to do anything anymore, no, not for me. I'll pass."

"So that's why you've come back to Tree Hill?" Haley asked.

"Yeah. I figured I might as well die in the same place where I was born." Peyton took another sip of her drink.

"So did you move back here?" Haley looked at Peyton, who nodded.

"I moved back a few months ago. I'm renting a little house on the edge of town."

"You said you did everything you wanted to do, right?" Nathan looked at Peyton "Can I ask what you did?"

"Sure," Peyton smiled "I've been to Europe and South-America. I've been to quite a few concerts and I've been organising my funeral."

Lucas cleared his throat "What's it going to be like? Your funeral?" He felt as if he could talk about anything with Peyton. She was so open and it didn't seem to bother her to talk about all of this.

"I want everyone to dress in red, I love that colour. I want white flowers in the church and a white coffin with red decorations painted on it. And I want music playing in the background," Peyton paused for a second because she felt tears coming to her eyes "I want people to remember me."

Lucas rubbed her back, while Nathan put his hand on her knee. She saw Haley grabbing Brooke's hand.

"God, I hate this." Peyton said softly, while she dried her eyes.

"It's ok, Peyton. I think you have a pretty good reason to be emotional." Nathan squeezed her knee.

"I know, it's just… That's what I'm afraid of, you know. That people wont remember me," Peyton shook her head "I don't want that."

"I'll remember you." Brooke spoke softly.

"Me too." Haley gave Peyton a wink.

"You won't be easy to forget, miss Sawyer." Nathan said, as he gave a small smile.

"Same here, Peyton. I won't forget you." Lucas squeezed her shoulder.

Peyton sniffed "Thanks guys, that means a lot to me." She looked at Haley "That's why I snapped at you earlier, Haley. I loved your idea about writing down our predictions for the next couple of years, but the problem is I won't even live to see the next year," Peyton laughed through her tears "Plus the only prediction I have for this year is 'I'll die', which isn't really a prediction anyway."

Haley nodded "I understand."

"But if you guys want, you could still write them down, and I could write down my predictions for the next three months." Peyton looked at the others, who all nodded. "I'll leave the "I'll die" part out of it, ok?"

Brooke stood up "I'll go first. Does anyone have a piece of paper and a pen?"

Haley grabbed her purse and started searching. She soon pulled out a small notebook and a pen and handed them to Brooke.

Brooke started writing right away, while the others sat in silence and watched her. Brooke ripped out her piece of paper and handed the notebook to Lucas.

He smiled at her and thought about what he should write down. Everything seemed so unimportant compared to Peyton's life. He finally thought of something and began writing. He then passed the notebook and pen to Haley.

Haley bit her lip and looked at the others; Nathan was talking softly to Peyton, his hand still on her knee. Brooke stared into her cup and Lucas was looking at Brooke. Haley smiled and started to write.

Brooke felt Lucas looking at her, but tried to ignore it. She thought about Chase and her upcoming marriage. She heard Peyton's words over and over again _'maybe the question isn't if Chase love you, but if you love Chase.'_ Brooke shook her head and took another sip.

Haley tapped Nathan on his shoulder and gave him the notebook. He smiled at her when he took it, and Haley smiled back.

Peyton tried hard not to look what Nathan was writing, luckily his handwriting was so poor she couldn't read anyway. He was soon finished an gave her the notebook.

She flipped through it and drew something before she started writing. It was not easy to come up with predictions for the next few months. The most important thing she would be doing was saying goodbye to everybody and making sure everything was dealt with.

Peyton handed Haley her piece of paper and Haley put them all in the little box "Where should we keep them, guys?"

"Why don't I keep them for now? That way I can read your predictions before I die and I'll make sure there's someone hand the box back to you on my funeral," Peyton paused "If you want to come to my funeral, of course."

"Of course we do, Peyton." Nathan said and the others agreed. Haley handed Peyton the box, who put it in her purse.


	10. Chapter 10

_**AN: HJS-NS-23, missdenmark, onetreehillgirl066, tinkingit, journeyfan4life **and **AngelOfDeath07, **thank you so much for you reviews! Keep 'em coming :)  
I hope you'll like this new chapter.. Let me know what you think! Thanks honeys!_

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"Does anyone know what time it is?" Haley looked at the other and saw Nathan looking at his watch.

"It's 3 a.m. Haley." Nathan said. He stretched a little and yawned.

Haley nodded "Thanks." She placed one hand on her stomach and rubbed it. All of a sudden she felt the baby kick. Haley smiled "Guys! Come here!" Haley gestured them to come over.

"What's wrong, Haley. Are you ok?" Lucas asked as he sat down next to his friend. He looked at her with a worried face.

"I'm fine, Luke. But the baby's kicking!" Haley looked at the others, who all smiled back at her. Some more than others.

Brooke held her hand over Haley's stomach "Can I?" Haley nodded. Brooke lowered her hand and carefully placed it on Haley's stomach. They all were quiet for some seconds until Brooke started laughing "I feel it! He's kicking."

"She" Haley said softly.

Lucas turned his head so he faced her "You're having a girl?"

Haley nodded "Yeah, I found out last week."

"Well, _she_ is a great kicker, Haley." Brooke sat down next to Lucas.

Lucas gave Haley a hug "Congratulations, Hales. I know how much you wanted a girl."

Nathan stood next to Peyton as they watched Haley, Brooke and Lucas. He sighed. He thought he would have a family of his own by now, but it wasn't meant to be. Even though he felt happy for Haley, a sad feeling came over him. All of a sudden he felt Peyton's hand grabbing his and Nathan smiled.

Peyton glanced at Nathan and knew he felt the same way she did. She was really glad for Haley, but it hurt. She would never have the chance to start her own family. Peyton took a deep breath "I'm happy for you, Haley."

Haley looked up and smiled at her "Thank you, Peyton." There was some sort of sincerity in Peyton's voice that made Haley believe Peyton meant what she said.

"Me too, Haley," Nathan said, while he held up his cup "Cheers to baby Haley."

Everyone got their cups and joined Nathan.

Brooke took a sip and started asking Haley questions about her pregnancy and her marriage. Lucas listened to his best friend as she told the story he had been a part of; her and Jake's wedding. Lucas leaned back and closed his eyes, enjoying the conversation by just listening to Haley's soothing voice.

Peyton let go of Nathan's hand and started walking around. She rubbed her forehead and finally sat down on the other side, away from Haley, Lucas and Brooke. Peyton leaned her back against the wall, tilted her head back and closed her eyes.

"Mind if I join you?" Nathan asked softly, while sitting down next to Peyton. He pulled up his knees and rested his arms on them.

Peyton shook her head "Of course not. I just had to get away from all the baby talk. I mean, I think it's great that Haley's pregnant, but it reminds me of the things I cannot have and sometimes it gets the best of me."

"I know what you mean. Sometimes feeling sorry for yourself is all you can do." Nathan gave a little smile "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"No, thank you. I think I've had enough for tonight. I'm beginning to feel a little tired actually." Peyton put her arms around herself and took a deep breath.

"Do you want me to take you home?" Nathan took off his jacket and put it on Peyton's shoulders "Here you go."

Peyton smiled at him "No, that's not necessary, Nathan. I like being here, it takes my mind off of things." She put her hand on his knee "How are you holding up though?"

Nathan shrugged "Ok, I guess. Like you said, this is good distraction from normal life, but when this night is over, life will still be there." Nathan stood up and went to get another drink.

Brooke followed Nathan with her eyes, she wondered what he and Peyton had been talking about. She looked at Peyton and saw the woman sitting against the wall, head leaned back and her eyes closed. It must be tiring for her, Brooke thought. It was so easy to forget that Peyton was really ill.

"Brooke?" Lucas gently touched Brooke's shoulder.

It took her a second to realise Lucas was calling her name. Brooke shook her head a little, as if she was trying to wake up and looked at Lucas "Yeah?"

He smiled back at her "Good to have you back, miss Davis," Lucas laughed "Can I get you something to drink?

Brooke thought about it for a second, then smiled as she said "No thank you, Lucas. I think I've had enough for tonight." She nodded, content that she was able to say no. Ten years earlier she would've stopped for nothing and usually she found herself the next morning, waking up with a terrible headache in a place she couldn't remember going to.

"A water then?" Lucas passed Brooke a bottle of water. "Can I get you anything, Hales?" Lucas looked at his best friend, who was beginning to look a little pale.

Haley shook her head "No thanks, Luke. I think I have to call it a night pretty soon. We're both tired, I guess." Haley rubbed her stomach. She was glad she only had three more months left.

Haley turned towards Brooke, who was playing with her water bottle. "What are you going to do Brooke? With Chase and all that?"

Brooke shrugged "I really don't know. If I tell him the truth, he'll hate me for the rest of his life. But if I don't," Brooke took another sip "Then I'll hate myself for the rest of my life." She lowered her head "I don't think I can live in a lie."

Haley stroked Brooke's hair "I know I don't have any right to say this, Brooke. But I think you need to step out of your comfort zone."

"I know," Brooke nodded "But it's difficult."


	11. Chapter 11

_**AN:** For me, this is probably the saddest chapter in the story so far. I have to admit I even teared up a little writing this, but then again, I'm pretty emotional as it is, so go figure :)  
I really hope you'll like this chapter - please leave a review! For anyone who did last time - thank you ever so much!_

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"I'm sorry, guys," Peyton got up and wrapped Nathan's jacket tighter around her shoulders "I think it's time for me to go home." Peyton tried to walk over to Brooke and Haley but felt she had to sit down again after just a few steps.

Lucas rushed over to Peyton and grabbed her arm. He gently helped her to sit down "Are you ok, Peyton?"

Peyton lowered her head "No," she said softly.

"Ok," Brooke got up and looked at Peyton "Why don't you just sit there for a second and me and the guys can clean up here." Brooke grabbed Haley's hand and pulled her up "You just sit here together with Peyton, Mom."

Haley smiled, she really came to like Brooke. She sat down next to Peyton and patted her on the knee "Don't be sorry, Peyton. It's not your fault you're ill."

Peyton nodded and put her hand on Haley's.

Nathan gathered all the empty cups, while Lucas collected the bottles.

"We sure made a mess, didn't we?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah," Nathan looked around to see if there were more cups lying around, but it seemed like he had collected them all "I think we're done, though."

Lucas walked over to Nathan and stood next to him, his eyes scanning the roof "I think you're right."

Brooke joined them, as they overlooked the rooftop.

"So, this is it, I guess." Brooke said. She heard her voice crack and wished she wasn't so emotional all the time. "I'm gonna miss you guys."

Haley took Peyton by the arm and they slowly walked over to where the other were standing. "I'm really glad we all decided to come here tonight. I truly believe that this was meant to be." Haley looked at the others, who all nodded in agreement.

"Shall we try to get down?" Nathan looked at Peyton while he asked that question.

Peyton nodded "It's only a fire escape, right?" She gave Nathan a wink. He smiled back at her, remembering how they first met tonight.

Brooke took a last look around before she went down, followed by Haley.

"I think it's best if I go before you, Peyton." Nathan said, as he climbed on the stairs. He was afraid she was too tired to make it down safely.

"Ok." Peyton looked over the edge, when she saw Nathan was at a safe distance she made her way down as well.

Lucas waited until everyone was off the ladder and then climbed down as well. He joined the others, who were waiting for him on the grass.

"I'm gonna take a cab home," Brooke said "Is there anyone who wants to share?"

Haley looked at Lucas "I think we'll walk."

Lucas nodded and put his arm around Haley "Sounds like a good idea, Hales."

"I'll join." Peyton looked at Brooke, who smiled back at her.

"I'd like to join as well," Nathan added "I'll pick my car up later today."

"Ok, let me just call for a cab." Brooke got out her cell phone and stepped back. She soon put her phone in her purse again and rejoined the group "They're here in five minutes."

Haley took a deep breath "It's time to say goodbye guys." Already tears were coming to her eyes. She walked over to Nathan and gave him a hug "Goodbye Nathan. I hope you'll find peace."

"Thank you, Haley. I hope you'll have a wonderful family." Nathan said. He walked over to Lucas and shook his hand "You take care, man."

Lucas nodded "You too."

Brooke walked over to Haley and gave her a kiss on the cheek "Bye Mom, I'm gonna miss you."

"I'll miss you too, boozy." Haley added as she stroked Brooke's hair.

Brooke laughed and walked over to Lucas. She pulled him in for a hug and put her mouth next to his ear "Bye, handsome."

Lucas was surprised to hear those words. He smiled as he pulled back and looked at Brooke "Bye miss Davis. Be good and be honest." He gave her a little wink. Brooke nodded.

Lucas turned to Peyton and gently kissed her cheek "You're a strong woman, Peyton Sawyer."

Peyton wiped away her tears as she looked at Lucas "You just have to believe in yourself, Lucas. Everything will be ok when you do."

Lucas nodded "Thank you."

"You're going to be a great Mom, Haley." Peyton walked over to Haley and gave her a hug "I wish you all the happiness in the world."

"Thank you." Haley whispered. She dried her eyes and looked at Lucas "Come on, Luke, let's go."

Lucas nodded and put his arm around Haley's shoulder. They waved at the others before they walked off, knowing the next time they would see them was at Peyton's funeral.

Brooke hooked arms with Peyton, so she could support her. Nathan was standing on the other side, his hand on Peyton's back. They stood in silence until they saw the lights of a car approaching.

Brooke sat down on the passenger's seat, as Nathan helped Peyton getting in. "I think it's easier if we drive by me first, it's only five minutes from here." Brooke said, as she turned around to look at Peyton and Nathan.

Nathan nodded "Yeah, I think Peyton's after that and I'm last." From what Nathan had understood, he lived closer to Brooke than Peyton, but he didn't want Peyton to be the last one to get home. She shouldn't be having to spend time alone in the cab.

They all were silent during the ride, until they reached Brooke's house. "Can you just wait here for a second?" Nathan asked the taxi driver, who nodded.

Brooke got out and walked over to Peyton "You just sit there, hon. No need to get out for me," Brooke leaned in and gave Peyton a hug "I think you're very brave, Peyton. If there's anything you need, just call me, ok?" Brooke said as she handed Peyton her card.

Peyton nodded "Thank you, Brooke," she grabbed Brooke's hand and squeezed it "I hope you'll be happy, Brooke Davis, no matter what you decide to do."

"Thank you." Brooke felt tears streaming down her face as she waved at Peyton. She turned around and gave Nathan a hug "Bye Nathan. Take care, ok?"

"I will… I will. Good luck, Brooke. With everything." Nathan gave her a little nod as he got back into the cab again. He waved as they drove away.

"So, it's just you and me, huh?" Peyton said. She looked at Nathan. He smiled at her and Peyton looked down. She told the taxi driver the address and thought about tonight. It had been amazing. And even though she was really tired right now, she had gotten a new strength from tonight.

Nathan put his hand on Peyton's and squeezed it. He knew this would be the last time he would see her. He felt a lump in his throat when he thought about that.

"We're here." Peyton said.

The cab stopped and Nathan got out. He walked over to Peyton's side and helped her to get out.

Peyton gave him back his jacket "Thank you, Nathan Scott. You've been a true gentleman this evening."

"Do you want me to walk you to the door?"

Peyton shook her head "No. I need to do that alone," she pulled Nathan in for a hug and gave him a kiss on his cheek "I'm gonna miss you, Nathan. I wish we could have met sooner."

"Me too," Nathan cleared his throat "So this is it, I guess. I… I just want you to know that I think you're an amazing woman, Peyton Sawyer. The world will be a lesser place when you're gone." Nathan pulled Peyton in for another hug.

"Don't…" Peyton stepped back "Don't do this Nathan. Don't get attached to me. It's not worth it." She turned around and started walking. Before she reached the front door she turned around and smiled "Goodbye Nathan."


	12. Chapter 12

_**AN:** Here's another update guys. A sad one though... Hope you'll like it anyway.  
**AngelOfDeath07, Missteasee, journeyfan4life, starlight2205, onetreehillgirl066 **and **Kay23x3 **- thank you for your reviews! It's always so great to get one, they really give me such a boost to continue with the next chapter :)_

_Lyrics at the end are from La Rocca- Goodnight_

* * *

_3 months later..._

Brooke looked at the envelope that came in the mail earlier today and took a deep breath. She took out her cell and went through her list of names. When she had found who she was looking for, she pressed 'call' and waited for a reply.

He heard his phone ringing in the background as he played with the card. He sighed, he really didn't feel like talking to anyone right now. But the ringing wouldn't stop, so he gave in and walked over to the phone. Looking at the display he knew he had to answer. He cleared his throat "Nathan."

"Hey Nate, it's Brooke. I just…" Brooke felt tears coming to her eyes. She calmed herself by taking a deep breath "I just wanted to know if you got it as well today?"

Nathan nodded, but soon realised Brooke couldn't see him "Yeah," he heard his voice break and was surprised by this sudden rush of emotion "I guess this means she's gone, Brooke."

"I know," Brooke whispered in-between sobs "Damn it, Nate. She was such a good person and now she's gone. It's so unfair."

"Yeah." Nathan didn't know what else to say. He looked at the other card that was on the table "Did you get the other card as well?"

"Yeah. That was really freaking me out earlier," Brooke looked through a mist of tears at the pink card, standing on her table "Did you notice..."

"Yeah, I noticed." Nathan interrupted Brooke and rubbed his forehead, waiting for Brooke to start talking again.

"So I'll see you Wednesday?" Brooke didn't know what else to say. She was sobbing so loud, she could barely hear Nathan's reply.

"I'll be there," Nathan felt a tear sliding across his cheek "Bye Brooke."

"Bye Nathan." Brooke hung up and stared into nowhere. She wondered if she should call Haley or Lucas, or both.

Lucas sat on his porch, trying to ignore the envelope he had laid down beside him. He already knew what was in there. His phone rang and before he picked up, Lucas saw it was Brooke who was calling "Hey Brooke."

"Lucas," Brooke's voice was still unsteady. "I guess you got her card as well?"

Lucas sighed "Yeah, I still haven't opened the envelope though."

"I know, me neither. It'll make it all so real." Brooke got up and walked over to the window. It was raining outside.

"Just be strong, Brooke. Peyton would want you to," Lucas searched for more comforting words, but couldn't find any "I'll see you Wednesday, I guess."

"Ok. Bye Luke." Brooke spoke softly.

"Bye." Lucas hung up and went inside. It wasn't long before his phone rang again. Without looking at the display he answered, but all he heard were sobs on the other end.

Haley tried to stop crying, but it was hard. "Luke, it's me," she finally managed to say. Haley went over to her purse and looked for more tissues. "She died, Luke."

Lucas sat down at the kitchen table "I know, Hales. I know."

"She died on the same day Allie was born," Haley cried even harder "She never got to see her."

"I think she might have had something to do with that, though." Lucas smiled as he thought about Haley's little girl. He had been there right after she was born, when Jake and Haley had asked him to be Allie's godfather.

"I'm so glad we decided to name her Allie Peyton Jagielski, Luke. That's all I could think about while I was in labour, that we had to give her Peyton's name, so she wouldn't be forgotten." Haley played around with one of her daughter's pacifiers.

"I'm sure Peyton would love that, Hales." Lucas got up and walked around his house. He listened to Haley, who tried to catch her breath, when he heard Allie crying in the background.

"Luke, I have to go. Allie's just woken up and I need to feed her." Haley's voice sounded a bit nervous, she was still getting used to the idea that she was a Mom now.

"It's ok, Hales, I'll see you on Wednesday, ok? Give Allie a big kiss from her uncle and tell her to be good. Bye."

"Bye Lucas." Haley put down the phone, dried her eyes and rushed upstairs. She walked over to the little girl and picked her up out of the crib. Haley smiled as she looked at her daughter "Let's get you some milk, honey."

Brooke took the envelope, her purse and her car keys and walked over to her car. She put her car in gear and rushed over to the building site that once was their high school. Brooke sat down against a tree and took the envelope out. She looked up and smiled towards the sky before she opened it.

Lucas grabbed a cup of coffee and walked outside. He sat down on his porch and played with the envelope. He didn't want to open it, but knew he had to. Nothing would change if he did, Peyton would still be gone. For some reason, Lucas was hoping that she would come back to them if he didn't open the envelope and didn't read the words on the card.

Nathan put his head in his hands an took a deep breath. Emotions still got the better of him and soon he was crying again. He hated it. He wanted to be strong, like Peyton had been. He grabbed the envelope and slowly opened it.

Haley put Allie back in her crib and sat down on the ground. She leaned her back against the wall and listened to her daughter's steady breathing. Haley smiled and got the envelope out of her pocket. She sighed before she carefully opened it.

_When you read this card  
__Don't__ cry; be brave  
__Don't be sad;__ enjoy life  
__Live everyday like it's your last  
__For that is what I have done  
__And it was great_

_Peyton Elisabeth Sawyer _

_"The time is over, goodnight  
__Leaving us the way I thought it might  
_'_Cause I know a place I'm going to, like nowhere that you've been  
__Goodnight, goodnight"_


	13. Chapter 13

_**AN: TScute4u, MyMelodyDreamz, AngelOfDeath07, Kay23x3, HJS-NS-23** - thank you for your reviews! They totally rock!  
Another sad chapter, I guess.. I hope you'll like it though. And Happy Easter everyone!_

* * *

Lucas looked in the mirror and adjusted his red tie. He gave himself a faint smile and grabbed his car keys. He opened the car door and noticed a soft rain was coming down. Lucas smiled, he was sure Peyton had something to do with this. He got in his car and went to pick up Haley. He honked when he reached her house.

Haley came out seconds later and rushed over to Lucas' car, holding her purse over her head, to cover from the rain "Hey Lucas." Haley got in his car and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She adjusted her dress. A red one, like Peyton wanted.

"How are you?" Lucas looked over at his best friends with compassion in his eyes.

Haley thought about that question for a second. Everything had been so strange lately. She and Jake had been so happy when Allie was born, but that feeling didn't last long. When they came home from the hospital they found Peyton's card and Haley had been on an emotional rollercoaster ever since.

"Okay, I guess." Haley put her hand on Lucas' and gently squeezed it.

Lucas focused on the road as they drove over to Brooke's house. Haley got out and rushed over to the front door. She knocked and soon Brooke opened the door.

Both women gave each other a hug "Hi Mom." Brooke said softly as she rubbed Haley's back. Brooke knew today was going to be difficult, but she kept reminding herself she had to be strong.

Brooke walked behind Haley and got in the backseat of Lucas' car. She met his eyes in the rear view mirror and gave him a little wink "Hey."

Lucas gave a little nod "Hey Brooke. How are you?"

"Trying hard not to break down." Brooke shrugged and turned her attention to the drops of water on the window. She soon found herself staring out the window, without actually seeing what was outside when they drove to Nathan.

He was already waiting for them on his porch, hands in his pockets, head low. Nathan quickly made his way to Lucas' car and joined Brooke in the backseat. He gave Brooke a hug and smiled towards Lucas and Haley.

They rode in silence until they reached the little church just outside Tree Hill. Haley got out of the car and admired the church. It was just a small one, but looked like something Peyton had chosen herself. Which she did, of course. Haley noticed it had stopped raining so she took her time and waited for the others to get out.

"It's beautiful." Brooke looked at the church. The doors where open and she saw red ribbons on the door. Lucas, Haley and Nathan gathered around her and together they walked in.

Only a few people were occupying the benches in the front section of the church. One of them was an older man, who Nathan guessed, must be Peyton's father. Nathan looked around and found little hints of red everywhere. There were red and white flowers, red ribbons on either side of the aisle and most people wore red. The reddest feature however, was Peyton's coffin, in the centre of the church.

They all sat down a few benches down from the front of the church and waited for the ceremony to start. Soon the minister entered and gave a small speech on life and death and how things are meant to be.

Lucas shook his head, he wasn't too sure Peyton would have like a speech about that, but he guessed it had to be done when the ceremony was held in a church.

When the minister was finished music came on. Brooke didn't recognise the song, so she listened carefully to the words. Some of the words really touched her heart and a few she remembered reading on Peyton's card;

'_Cause I know a place I'm going to, like nowhere that you've been_

Haley felt tears coming to her eyes as she listened to the song. She could understand why Peyton picked it. When the song was finished the minister said there would be time to pay their respect before they would go to the cemetery.

Lucas saw the people in the front rows getting up and walking over to the coffin. The older man touched the coffin and bowed his head. From this angle in wasn't hard to see this must be Peyton's Dad. The people surrounding him must be Peyton's family, Lucas thought.

Nathan waited for Peyton's family to leave before he got up. He looked at the others, who joined him, and together they walked over to Peyton. Nathan pressed a kiss on his hands and touched the coffin "Bye Peyton Sawyer, you will be remembered." He took a deep breath and looked at the coffin for the last time. Nathan took a few steps back and waited for the others to join him.

Haley gently touched the coffin, tears in her eyes "Bye Peyton, watch over Allie for me, will you?" She walked over to Nathan and waited for Brooke and Lucas.

"Peyton Sawyer," Lucas paused for a second "We will miss you." He sighed. Life was so unfair at times.

Brooke kneeled on the right side on the coffin and spoke softly "Peyton, I hope I can make you proud. Bye honey." She fiercely rubbed her eyes before she got up and walked over to the others. She had to be strong.

After this, all of them followed the minister outside, to the cemetery, where they were handed a single white rose. The minister said a final prayer before the coffin was lowered and gestured for everyone to throw their roses on it.

Lucas put his arm around Brooke when he saw her crying. She looked at him and gave a weak smile "Thank you."

Lucas kissed her temple and for a moment they were standing in silence. It started to rain again, but none of them made any effort to go inside.

"What do you want to do, guys?" Haley asked, while she hooked arms with Nathan. He looked so sad, that Haley hoped she could comfort him a bit. No one replied and Haley didn't want to be the one to push them, so they remained at the same spot.

A man came walking over to them, a man, both Lucas and Nathan recognised as Peyton's Dad. They looked at each other and shrugged, waiting for the man to speak.

Larry had a little box in his hands and smiled at the gang in front of him. Peyton had made him promise he would give them the box and had given a very accurate description of them all. They seemed nice people who really had cared about his daughter.

"Peyton asked me to hand you this." Larry said, as he held out the box.


	14. Chapter 14

_**AN:** Everyone who has left a review - thank you ever so much! I got nine reviews on the last chapter, that's like my personal record :)  
I hope you will enjoy this chapter, there's still one or two more to come, though!_

* * *

Brooke sat on the backseat again, this time carefully holding the box Peyton's Dad had given to them minutes earlier. She stared out of the window, looking at the rain that had started to come down again and wondered what they would find inside the box. She waited for Lucas to start the car, but instead of the engine she heared muffled voices in the front.

Haley suddenly turned around "Why don't we go over to my house to see what's in the box? Jake's at his parents with Allie, so we'll have the house to ourselves," Haley gave all of them a faint smile "Plus it's probably better inside, than outside in the rain."

"Good idea, Haley." Nathan answered and he looked at Brooke, waiting for her reply. She just nodded. Nathan put his hand on Brooke's, but he wasn't sure this was comforting her at all. He was never really good at that.

"Ok, off we go." Lucas started the car and focused on the road. He was really curious about the things Peyton and the others had written down.

They reached Haley's house after a couple of minutes and all of them rushed inside. "I'll go make us some coffee. Just make yourself at home, guys." Haley said, as she gestured towards the living room.

Brooke still held the box with two hands as she walked inside the living room. Immediately her eyes were drawn to a side table full of pictures. She bent down and saw one of Jake and Haley at their wedding day, as well as one where Haley held Allie at the hospital. Brooke smiled and walked over to the couch where she sat down. She carefully put the box on the table in front of her and leaned back.

Nathan sat down in a chair next to Brooke and let his eyes wander the room. He liked it. It looked like his own house, with light colours and not too much decorations.

"Here we go." Haley handed every one a cup of coffee and sat on the couch opposite to Brooke. Lucas sat down next to Brooke and everyone stared at the box. They sat like this for a couple of minutes, each with their own thoughts and memories of that night, three months ago.

"We can't sit here forever, can't we?" Brooke sighed and put her coffee down. The others shook their heads. Brooke took a deep breath "Well, here goes nothing." She picked up the box and opened it.

There was a purple envelope on the top, with the words _Read this first _written on it. Brooke played around with it, thinking if she should open it or not, but, after a few seconds, handed the envelope to Lucas instead. Afraid she'd break down before she even opened it.

Lucas took the envelope and carefully opened it. Out came a light blue piece of paper, the front decorated with all their initials in gold. Lucas opened the card and his eyes scanned the paper. He smiled and cleared his throat;

_My dearest Brooke, Haley, Nathan and Lucas,_

_Thank you. Thank you for that wonderful night we shared, on top of our high school. I got a lot of strength from that night and I have each and everyone of you to thank for that. I'm gone now, though, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this. At least, I hope you're reading this.  
__I tried to give my Dad the most accurate description of you, but I don't know if he found you. I__ told him to look for people who look odd together, but somehow seem to have known each other all their life. Because I really felt like I've know you all my life. I was at ease with you and didn't feel like I had to hide the side of me that isn't so pretty. You know, that side that you don't want to show to people, because you're afraid it might scare them.  
__Anyway, before this turns into a novel, I would like to give you some rules. Well, I don't know if they're really rules, but I couldn't come up with anything else. Let me explain this – after I took the box home I wanted to read all you predictions, so I would know what you want in life.  
You know, thinking that maybe I'd be able to pull a few strings for you guys up in heaven so you get everything you want and more (if heaven's where I'm going though.. Otherwise I could always make arrangements with the devil, haha, Peyton trying to be funny. Sorry, don't mind me, I'm just being sarcastic). But I couldn't. I've held each of your little notes in my hands a couple of times, but I just couldn't bring myself to open them. So instead, I've written down my predictions for you. All of you. Even for your little girl, Haley, who I think must be born by now. You just have to take my word, that I really, really, haven't read yours. Ok?  
__So, what I suggest, is that you don't read them either (neither mine nor yours) and you all meet up again in ten years, like you originally planned. That way, we'll see who's dreams came true eventually. What I have done, though, is that I've made a card for each of you. I won't tell what's in there, you just have to read. You can do that now. If you want, of course. I don't want you to do something you don't want, just because I'm dead (sorry, that was me being funny and sarcastic again. It seems like that's all I am these days. That, and dying, of course). Yeah, so that's it guys. My work here is done. I'll leave you to it._

_Love always, Peyton_

_P.S. - That rain that bugged you all day today? That was me :)_

Lucas closed the card and looked at the others. Brooke was drying her eyes, but had a smile around her lips. Nathan stared into nowhere, as if he was still trying to process everything he'd just heard. Haley was still holding her cup of coffee and smiled at Lucas.

"Wow." Brooke finally said "Can I just hold the card, Luke?" Lucas nodded and handed her the card. Brooke opened it and traced the words inside with her fingers. She smiled and put the card on the table.

"I think we all could use a drink before we open the other cards, right?" Haley asked, as she got up. The others all nodded and Haley walked over to the kitchen.

Somehow they've silently agreed that they're doing as Peyton suggested - not reading their predictions now, but wait ten years until they do.


	15. Chapter 15

_**AN: AngelOfDeath07, ashtondene, Sophi20, grumpie2003, TScute4u, .Holic** and **Kay23x3** - thank you for leaving a review on the last chapter! They really make writing a new chapter so much easier :)  
__The quotes Peyton uses as a last line on all of the cards are not mine, but from;  
John Steinbeck (Lucas),  
Rosalynn Carter (Brooke),  
Elain Heffner (Haley),  
Ben Stein (Allie) and  
George Bernard Shaw (Nathan)  
__I hope you'll like this chapter, - please let me know what you think!_

* * *

Haley got a bottle of wine from the kitchen and took it back to the living room. She gave everyone a glass and sat down, taking a big sip herself.

"Who wants to go first?" Haley looked at the others, but they all looked down.

"I'll go." Lucas said. He got the box and opened it again. He found 4 envelopes, which he took out. He closed the box and went through the envelopes, he handed the others theirs and looked at his own. Lucas opened it and took out the card that was in there. For a moment he sat there, looking at the card, until he felt Brooke's hand on his arm, encouraging him to go on.

Lucas smiled faintly and opened the card. He smiled when he read what Peyton had written down. He cleared his throat _"Lucas Scott. Don't doubt yourself. Good things will happen to you, but only if you let them. Believe in yourself and you'll do well." _Lucas paused for a moment, letting the words soak in. _"Don't be afraid of life and use what happens to you as an inspiration. And remember; 'the free exploring mind of the individual human being is the most valuable thing in the world.' Take care of yourself, Lucas. Love, Peyton."_

Brooke squeezed Lucas' arm. Again she had tears in her eyes, but she couldn't be bothered to dry them. She still held her own card and tightened her grip on it, afraid it might disappear, just like Peyton had. "Can I go?" Brooke asked softly. Haley nodded, as did Nathan. Lucas placed his hand on her back and gave her a small smile.

Brooke let go of Lucas' arm and opened the envelope. She took out the card and started reading it out loud _"Brooke Davis. Follow your heart, be true to yourself and believe in the power of love. You're a strong woman and I know you'll do great things in life." _Brooke took a deep breath, trying to calm herself a bit. She closed her eyes for a second before she continued _"And remember: 'you have to have confidence in your ability and then be tough enough to follow through.' Be brave, Brooke. Love, Peyton."_

Brooke felt tears streaming down her face and she lowered her head. Peyton's words had found their way into her heart and she was struck by the meaning of them. She felt Lucas pulling her in for a hug and let him comfort her.

Haley looked at her best friend, who was comforting Brooke. She smiled wearily and got her envelope. She opened it and took out the card. She was about to put the envelope down when she felt something else in there. She found a smaller card, that was addressed to Baby Haley.

Haley nodded and opened her card first _"Haley James Jagielski. You will be a great Mom and your little girl will have an amazing family. Be confident and listen to your heart, it'll guide you through difficult times. 'The art of mothering is to learn the art of living to children.' Enjoy your time together, Haley. Love Peyton."_ Haley put her card down and got the one Peyton had made for Allie.

"_Little girl. You still have your whole life in front of you. Enjoy it. Don't let anything hold you down. Try to have an open mind and be good to others. 'The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this; decide what you want.' Love Peyton." _Haley put the card down and rubbed her eyes. She had known it before, but now she was sure, Peyton would be a great part of Allie's life. Haley really felt like Peyton was watching over her little girl, which comforted her.

"It really feels like she's known us for years, doesn't it?" Brooke looked at Haley, who nodded.

"Yeah. You know, like I said before, I really think that night we all met was meant to be. I don't know why, but I'm pretty sure something's planned out for us," Haley shook her head "I don't know, maybe I just like to believe that, so it makes this easier."

"I really miss her." Brooke bit her lip and looked down.

Lucas rubbed her back, trying to comfort her "I think it's safe to say we all do." He looked at Haley, who nodded and gave him a little wink. "I guess it's your turn now, Nathan." Lucas looked at him, but didn't get a reply "Nathan?"

Nathan shook his head, as though he was trying to bring himself back to the here and now "What?" He looked at the others and saw Haley gesturing at his envelope. He looked down and smiled "Oh."

He opened the envelope and took out the card. Nathan cleared his throat and started reading _"Nathan Scott. Life is what you make of it. Even in your darkest days, you can choose which road to follow. Make that decision with your heart and you'll be fine. 'A life spent making mistakes is not only more honourable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.' Love Peyton."_ Nathan smiled as he closed the card. As always, Peyton had known exactly what to say.

"So, this is it huh?" Haley placed her hands in her lap and looked at the others.

"Yeah," Nathan rubbed his neck "But we'll see each other in ten years, right? To see if our predictions came true?"

"Can't we just stay in touch?" Brooke heard her voice crack a little. She didn't want to say goodbye to the people she considered her friends, it just made no sense.

"I'm sorry, guys, but I don't think I can do that. Not right now." Nathan looked at the others "But if you want to stay in touch, that's fine with me. Just… I'll see you in ten years, ok? And I can't give you a good reason for that, but I know that right now I just can't. I'm sorry."

"That's ok, Nathan. Like you said, we'll all see each other in ten years anyway," Haley smiled at Nathan. Somehow it didn't surprise her that he didn't want to stay in touch. Even during that night he'd bonded more with Peyton than any of them, so it really wasn't that strange.

Nathan got up "Yeah, I think I should go. It's been a long day." He walked over to Haley and gave her a hug "Take care, Haley."

She nodded "Thanks Nathan, you too."

"Take care, man." Lucas said, as he shook Nathan's hand.

Nathan smiled "I will, you too Luke."

"I'm gonna miss you, Nathan." Brooke gave Nathan a hug and grabbed him by the shoulders "Please take good care of yourself."

"I will Brooke, you be brave, ok?"

Brooke nodded "I will." She waved as Nathan left the room. "God," Brooke sat down on the couch "Why does life has to be this hard sometimes?" She grabbed her purse and looked for her car keys. She then realised Lucas had picked her up earlier today, so she grabbed her phone instead. Brooke got up "I'm just going to call a cab."

"Why?" Lucas looked at Brooke "I can drive you home, Brooke."

Brooke shrugged "I thought maybe you wanted to stay with Haley a bit longer."

Lucas laughed "Yeah, but I can do that every day, so it's ok. I'll take you home." Lucas walked over to Haley and gave her a hug "Bye Hales, say hi to Jake and Allie for me, will you? I'll call you tomorrow."

Haley nodded "Will do, Luke. You take care and I'll see you for dinner on Friday, right?" She walked over to Brooke and gave her a hug "Bye Brooke. Take care."

Brooke smiled through yet another mist of tears "I will. You really are a great Mom, Haley."

"Thank you. Just call me if you need anything, ok?" Haley walked Brooke and Lucas to the door and waited until they got in the car. She waved as she watched them driving by.

--

"Here we are." Lucas said, as he pulled over in front of Brooke's house. "If I'm out of line here, just say so Brooke," he turned towards Brooke and took her hand "But I noticed today you're not wearing a wedding ring. What happened with you and Chase?"

Brooke pulled back her hand "I told him the truth." She crossed her arms and stared straight ahead.

"I'm sorry." Lucas stared out of the window and for a moment they sat in silence.

"It's ok. I'm ok. I guess it was time for me the step outside my comfort zone." Brooke opened the door and got out. Lucas did the same and walked Brooke to her door.

"Thank you, Lucas." Brooke said, when they reached the door. She turned around and gave Lucas a kiss on his cheek.

Lucas shrugged "No thanks. I'm glad we met, Brooke Davis."

"Me too." Brooke said as she opened the door and walked in "Listen," Brooke turned around and looked at Lucas "Do you want to come in for a cup of coffee?"

"I'd love to." Lucas said, as he closed the door behind him.


	16. Chapter 16

_**AN:** Thank you to **HJS-NS-23, Sophi20, ashtondene, .Holic, cabot007, AngelOfDeath07, grumpie2003, TScute4u** and **Kay23x3** for you reviews! Love them!  
This is the last chapter guys... :( Despite that I still hope you'll enjoy it! Please let me know what you think!_

* * *

_Ten years later_

She spotted him sitting on the bench near Peyton's grave and walked over to him. Without saying a word she sat next to him and put her hand on his knee.

He turned his head a gave her a faint smile "You're early." Nathan continued to look at Haley, trying to figure out if it really was a hint of sadness he saw in her eyes.

"Yeah, I know. I went by Allie first." Haley lowered her head and waited for the unavoidable question.

"What do you mean?" Nathan felt his heart drop as his mind already was drawing conclusions when he asked that question. He hoped his mind was wrong.

"She's," Haley took a deep breath "Her grave is on the other side of the cemetery." She lifted her head and looked at the man next to her "She died, Nathan."

His mind had been right. "I'm sorry, Haley. I don't know what else to say."

"It's ok, Nathan." Haley gave him a little nod and looked at the ground again.

"What happened? When did it happen?" Nathan put his hand around Haley's shoulders and pulled her close "I'm sorry." That phrase was getting old, but he really didn't know what else to say.

"She was seven and was playing outside in our yard with some of the kids from our neighbourhood. One of them threw a ball towards Allie, but she missed it, so it rolled onto the road," Haley tightened her grip on the bench and took a deep breath, trying to fight back the tears that had formed in her eyes "She went after the ball and came out of between two parked cars. The driver saw her too late. She died in the hospital, hours later."

Nathan rubbed Haley's back and shook his head in disbelief "Why didn't you tell me?"

Haley sighed "You told us not to, Nathan. You said you didn't want to stay in touch, so I… I didn't." She shrugged and dried her eyes.

"It's ok, Haley, I don't blame you. I just wish I could have been there for you." Nathan tightened his grip a little as he tried to comfort Haley. "You know how much I regretted saying that I couldn't stay in touch?" Nathan looked at Haley "I was selfish. I thought that I didn't need you guys in my life. That I would do fine on my own." He shook his head. "I was wrong, but I was too proud to go back to you."

For a moment, they both sat in silence.

"You know what she said, when she was lying there on the asphalt?" Haley looked at Nathan, who shook his head. "She told me it was going to be ok, 'cause aunt Peyton would take care of her now." Haley smiled through her tears when she thought about that moment.

"I think she is, Haley." Nathan looked at Haley "It sounds like something Peyton would do."

Haley nodded "Yeah, it does, doesn't it?" Haley sighed "That's what gets me through the day though, knowing… believing that my little girl isn't alone up there. I'm hanging on to that for dear life, Nathan."

"I know, Haley. I know." Nathan looked up at the sky and imagined Peyton and Allie having a blast up there.

"Hi guys." Brooke's raspy voice broke the silence between them. Nathan saw Brooke and Lucas standing in front of them, Lucas with his hand around Brooke's shoulder.

"Hey," Nathan got up and gave Brooke a hug "It's good to see you again, Brooke."

She smiled "Yeah, you too, Nathan. You look good." Brooke walked over to Haley, who was drying her eyes and gave her friend a hug "Hi Hales, you went to see Allie?" Haley nodded and Brooke pulled her in for another hug.

Lucas walked over to Nathan and shook his hand "Hey Nathan. How have you been?"

"Ok." Nathan tried to smile, but didn't quite succeed. He lowered his head and studied the ground.

"Hi Hales." Lucas went to his best friend and gave her a hug "So you've told him?"

Haley nodded "Yeah." She looked at the small circle of people surrounding her and gave them a faint smile.

"I can't believe it's been ten years already." Brooke sat down next to Haley and put her hand on Haley's. "Did you bring the box, Hales?"

"Yeah, it's in my purse. Let me get it." Haley reached behind her and got her purse of the ground. She took out a small box and placed it on the bench, between herself and Nathan.

Brooke reached over and took the box "Can I go first?" Before anyone could answer she'd already opened the box and took out her piece of paper. Brooke took a deep breath and read out loud _"I, Brooke Davis, 27, will have told Chase the truth about my past. Hopefully, in ten years I'll be able to live with that and I'll understand that being honest is always the best thing to do. Oh, and I will have a rockin' fashion line." _

Lucas smiled at Brooke and gave her a little wink.

"Oh well…" Brooke folded the piece of paper and looked at the others. She shrugged "They came true. I told Chase the truth and he broke up with me, but I can live with that now," Brooke gave a little nod "I've also started my own fashion line last year. It's still very small, but it looks promising."

"Good for you Brooke," Nathan said, he smiled when he took the box from her "I'll go next."

Nathan unfolded his paper and cleared his throat _"In ten years I will have my life back on track and I won't need alcohol to get through difficult days. Maybe I'll even do something fun once in a while." _

He put the piece of paper in the pocket of his jeans and shrugged "Alcohol still is an issue for me. Every year, on the day my wife died and on the day Peyton died, I take a bottle of whiskey and lose control. And every year I promise myself that was the last time, but I never seem to keep that promise." Nathan lowered his head.

"Did you at least do something fun?" Lucas looked at Nathan. He felt sorry for him, but knew Nathan was old enough to make his own decisions.

Nathan nodded "I did actually. I took six months off two years ago, and travelled the world. That was fun." He smiled as he thought about the time he spent in Asia and Europe.

"You did?" Brooke was surprised to hear what Nathan had done.

He nodded "Yeah, I had a good time actually."

"That's good to hear, Nathan." Haley said, as she took the box from him. She got out her piece of paper and took a deep breath, already knowing what was on there _"One, Jake and I will still be together. Two, I will have a beautiful baby girl and three, Luke and I will still be best friends." _Haley softly cried as she finished reading her predictions.

Brooke sat down next to Haley and put her arm around her "They came true, Hales. I know it's hard, but you will always be Allie's Mom. You will always have a beautiful baby girl. Don't even forget that, ok?"

Haley nodded "I know. It's just unfair," she gave a faint smile, trying to be brave.

"I know, hon." Brooke said, as she gently rubbed Haley's arm.

"I'll be ok. Just continue with yours, Luke." Haley nodded towards Lucas and waited for him to open his little piece of paper.

Lucas did and smiled when he saw what he had written down _"One, I will tell Brooke Davis how I feel about her."_ Lucas looked up and smiled at Brooke, who gave him a wink. _"Two, I will be happy, no matter where I am or what I do. And three, me and Haley will still be best friends."_

"You're with Brooke?" Nathan asked Lucas. "Yes, we've been together for what? Nine years now?" Lucas looked at Brooke, who nodded.

"We've been engaged since last year and plan on getting married soon, actually." Brooke smiled.

"Wow. Who would have known?" Nathan got up and gave Brooke a hug "Congratulations Brooke." And then turned towards Lucas "You too, of course."

"Thanks Nathan." Lucas got up and looked at the others "Why don't we grab a drink somewhere? I think Peyton wouldn't blame us if we took this somewhere warmer and more comfortable."

"But we still have to read Peyton's predictions, don't we?" Nathan looked at Lucas.

"I don't think she would mind if we did that inside somewhere." Lucas smiled as he looked at the box in his hands.

"I agree." Haley got up and was followed by Brooke. "Why don't we go over to the Café, Luke?"

"Just promise me one thing guys," Nathan said from behind them. Brooke, Haley and Lucas turned to face him "Let's all stay in touch from now on, ok? I've been missing out on a lot the last ten years and I don't want that to happen again."

"I promise." Haley said, as she placed her hand on Nathan's arm.

Brooke looked at Lucas, who nodded "We would like that, Nathan."

"Thank you." Nathan smiled and turned around. He walked over to Peyton's grave and placed his hand on her headstone "Bye Peyton. You'll always be in our hearts."

Haley joined him and looked down at Peyton's grave "Bye Peyton, take care of Allie for me, will you?"

Nathan put his arm around Haley and squeezed her shoulder.

Brooke and Lucas walked over to the others and Brooke bent down, she whispered "You'll be an aunt again in four months, Peyton. Luke and I are having a baby. How about that, huh?" Brooke looked at Luke as she got up. He smiled at her and Brooke touched Peyton's stone "Bye honey, we love you."

Together, they walked out of the cemetery and headed for the Café.

_In ten years, Luke and Brooke will be together – the chemistry between you two is undeniable. Nathan will find his way in life, and will finally accept the help from others. Haley will be a great Mom, and I promise to look after her little girl. Me? I won't be here anymore, but you bet your asses I will be with you every single day.  
__I love you all! Love, Peyton._


	17. AN

That's it. The story has come to an end.

I really enjoyed writing this one and like to believe it's very different from the other stories I've written so far. I've noticed in the reviews that people wanted this to be a Naley or Brucas fic, however that was never my intention. I just wanted to write a story about five people who became friends in the course of one night. I know it ended with Lucas and Brooke being together, but that just happened as the story progressed. I'm happy about that though, it seems to fit the story well (or at least, I like to think it does).

I would like to say a big **thank you** to each and everyone of you that has left a review! They really encouraged me to get another chapter out as soon as possible. Also a big thanks to everyone who has added this fic to their favourite list or who have signed up for alerts about this story – love you! (It really feels as if I'm giving some sort of oscar-acceptance speech, lol) It's always nice to know that what you write is appreciated :)

Ok, so that's it. Really. I'm done here. I don't know if I'll start a new story soon.. I really have to continue with Don't Let It Pass You By (I'm giving myself like a little mental kick everyday, thinking I really have to continue with that one, but it just doesn't happen… until now, I hope…).

Again, thank you for reading this!

Take care,

Mariaana


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